Under Our Wings
by cgaussie01
Summary: Sequel to Stakes & Leather. Pt 4: The men of the family gather to discuss the situation of Roxanne's pregnancy and just what it could mean for the woman. Megamind, still feeling a stress he's never experienced before, runs into a familiar face.
1. Burdens to Face

The cool night air whipped the trees, shaking loose their leaves, and you could smell the winter months fast approaching despite it still being only late August. In the skies above, partly blocked by some oncoming storm clouds, was the moon at half crescent. It was a pretty sight, but scenery was the last thing on his mind this night.

Taking wing, the creature flew onwards across the thick woods, seeking what he desired... what he needed. With his superior sense of smell and hearing, locating his prey wasn't that hard at all.

Feeling in a playful mood he landed in a nearby tree, being sure to cause some noise before taking flight once again. He picked up the sound of a man's heart; it was beating faster now, pumping all that precious blood through his veins. God, he could smell and taste it from here. Quickening his flight pattern he landed in another tree, then another. So far, this was good fun.

Finally the man broke out into a run and he knew the games were over. Taking flight he beat his wings quickly to build momentum, and moved higher into the sky. When he was at the right altitude he suddenly began to glide, with great speed, down towards the ground where the man was now running for his life. He stood no chance, of course. He was without weapons, without any way to defend himself. He was finally bearing down on him, and opened his mouth to let out the last sound the man would ever hear; his hungry, deadly screech, before tackling him to the ground, and began feasting on his neck.

Megamind sat up quickly, snorting loudly, and felt his heart hammering in his chest. Where was he?

He looked around to see he was in the library of the manor, and remembered he had come down here since he had been unable to sleep. Roxanne was still upstairs, judging by the time of night it was, and he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Why was it he couldn't fall asleep up there, yet down here he had blissfully fallen into a deep slumber after a few minutes of reading a book?

Maybe it was the stress.

Stress?

It had been a week since Roxanne had handed him the bombshell that was her pregnancy. The idea of a child still sent mixed signals throughout his mind. If he could ignore the medical implications and possible complications, he feared what kind of father he would be. Would he be good at it? What if he was a horrible father and made mistakes? Roxanne might grow sick of his attempts and leave with the child, like his own mother had done, but instead of just leaving she would take away the child with her. The memory of his mother's departure brought a sour taste to his mouth and he got up from the table and made his way through to the kitchen to get something to drink.

He opened the fridge and pulled out some juice and a cool glass before moving to the breakfast table, and sat down at it, pouring himself a glass. While most men would take comfort in alcohol from the dread growing in his mind, Megamind chose to ignore the alcohol. Taking a slow drink he set the glass back down, before rubbing at his forehead.

"Why are you up?"

Wayne's voice startled him and he lifted his head to see the towering shape of his brother half silhouetted by the moonlight pouring in through the windows. As usual he wore nothing to bed, but at least when he wandered throughout the house he wore that dressing gown of his.

"Had a nightmare," Megamind answered quietly.

"Hmm." Wayne understood that. Bernard suffered horrible nightmares most nights, horrendously violent things when he would rip people apart and feast on their bodies like an animal. Little did he know how close his boyfriend's nightmares were to his brother's... He grabbed his own glass from the fridge but instead of juice he got himself some water. "Worries too?" he asked.

"No," replied Megamind in a rushed tone.

"Don't lie, I can tell when you lie," smirked Wayne as he joined him at the table, pulling out a chair to sit. "It's okay to be scared, you know."

"No it isn't. Fear affects judgment. Judgment affects actions."

"Most guys get scared when their wives or girlfriends get pregnant, Megamind," Wayne said, "They worry if they'll do their partner right. If they'll be good fathers. If they'll live up to their own father's teachings. You're worried about all of that aren't you?"

Megamind frowned angrily, but it released from his body on a tired sigh. "God. I am. I'm terrified and I'm _never_ terrified."

Wayne chuckled softly. "No, you have a habit of running head first into danger and thinking about it later. But that's something I admire about you. No matter what the odds, you go at it, and never give up. I think you'll do the same when the time comes for that baby to come out too."

"What if it's sick?" Megamind asked quietly, voicing his innermost fears to his brother in the darkness. "What if, what if our genes didn't mesh well enough and it's... it's..."

"They have tests to figure that out now days," Wayne explained. "To see if the child is suffering any medical problems."

"But what if it is?"

"Then... you and Roxanne will have to talk about what you're going to do," he said carefully.

The idea of abortion hadn't even surfaced amongst them once. Even when Roxanne found out she was pregnant she had stated firmly she would want to have the baby, whether Megamind wanted to be there for her or not. Of course her fears of being a single mother had been eased after she had finally admitted to Megamind (during the act of making love) that she was pregnant and he had accepted it, and her. No way would he chase away the greatest thing to ever happen to him, and that even beat the fact he had killed Dracula.

He had somebody who loved him, and that somebody was Roxanne Ritchi. Darling of the news network, the woman had been a shining jewel to him for years. Every day he would either watch her program, or have it recorded so he could watch it after his vampire slayings of the night. It was just something about her that had enthralled him from the start. Those striking blue eyes, her soft brown hair and the way it was short like that instead of long and flowing like most girls. Her easy smile, smooth complexion and yes, that little beauty spot on her chin. God, how many hours had he spent watching her news?

It had only been by chance that she had been attacked by a vampire one night, and Megamind had been in the area due to reported spotting of the beast. He had been that caught up in the adrenaline of dealing with the monster, he hadn't even noticed it was the beautiful woman until he had her in his car, taking her home. If he had wiped her memory of the incident like he should have, she would have forgotten him entirely. But he hadn't wanted her to forget... not him.

Now here she was, sleeping in his bed upstairs with a baby that defied science alone growing inside her.

And she loved him.

It all felt like a dream sometimes, when he would wake up and find her sleeping there beside him. Her kisses were electric, and when her fingers would trail over his pointed ears, oh man. _Heaven._

He was pulled out of his little memory slash fantasy moment and sighed, before rubbing at his throat. It felt tight, so he got himself another drink.

Wayne meanwhile was sitting at the table, watching his brother carefully. Megamind had missed out on so much while he had been unconscious, but one thing he still wasn't aware of was that their long-lost mother, Nina Zammit, had re-entered their lives. When Megamind's pixelated image had been broadcast and the nickname 'Blue Man' had been given to him, he had brought on a rush of memories for the older woman. She suddenly remembered things that her husband, their Father, had erased when she had left them.

Megamind was about to start on an adventure with Roxanne, with the pregnancy and eventual birth. Who could he go to for help? Those family members who had children were in other states, most across the country. If he could ask his own mother for help... if he _would_ ask his own mother for help... if he even knew she was back, first.

Roxanne had kept her part of the deal; once Megamind was healthy enough she had told him she was pregnant. Now it was his turn to keep his promise too.

"Megamind?" Wayne asked.

"Hmm?"

"Something... else happened while you were sleeping," Wayne started.

"Uh oh," Megamind said. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Just checking," grinned Megamind.

"Mother came back."

Wayne, like Megamind, wasn't a person to mince their words. Their Father had taught them from a young age to be direct and honest about situations, and it did no good to lie and try to hide things. While he had hidden this fact from his brother for a while, it was for a good cause. Too much news might have caused a bad mental relapse and he didn't want that on his conscience. He watched his brother's face in the dim light for any signs or flicker of emotion. There weren't any, and that was worrisome.

"What," Megamind said quietly.

"Nina, the woman who was married to Father. When she saw your picture on the news, it sparked all the memories that had been erased back to life for her. She showed up here, at the gates," Wayne explained.

"And you let her _in?_" Megamind asked.

"Yes. I did," Wayne replied firmly. "She was my Mother too, and I wanted to speak with her. I wanted to know."

"Know why she chose to forget us and get on with her life?"

"Not like that, Ethelwine."

"Don't call me that."

"Tough. This is serious. She came back, don't you understand? She said she had felt you running around in her dreams for years. Me, and Father too. Even Minion. He had removed so much but she suddenly could remember things, images, moments. You know why she left, don't you? She couldn't stand to see us become soldiers at such a young age. She hated the fact our innocence was taken from us so early. She couldn't watch us go and get hurt," Wayne went on to explain, hoping his brother wouldn't get to his feet and storm off.

"I don't get hurt every day. And you can't get hurt ever."

"She didn't know that, all right? Look. Fact of the matter is she's back. We've all spoken with her, even Roxanne," Wayne said.

"And she kept that from me too?" Megamind asked weakly.

"Not out of contempt. Because she didn't want to overload you. None of us did. But she..." Wayne sighed. "She wants to see you."

Megamind wanted to shout "No!" at the top of his lungs but he stopped himself. The news of the woman who had abandoned him had smothered his worries about becoming a father temporarily. He didn't know how to feel, or what to think. Slowly he pressed his hands to his large head and shut his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "She wants to see me," he whispered.

"Yes. She does. Would you give her that, if only just once?" Wayne asked.

"I don't... I don't know..."

Reaching over to him, Wayne gently gripped his brother's shoulder. "You don't have to decide right away," he consoled his brother. "But think about what you could gain by speaking with her, all right? You can't stay angry. Father said that anger always clouds one's judgment, so don't let it cloud you from her forever."

Megamind only nodded before he slid the hands to cover his face. So not only was he having nightmares, he had the stress of becoming a new father, and now his mother was on his mind too. Why was the world out to get him lately? Hadn't he done the world a favor by killing one of the deadliest monsters in its history? _No good deed goes unpunished._ Isn't that how that stupid phrase goes? He suddenly understood it, though he wished he didn't.

"What's going on in here, a midnight meeting?" Bernard asked as he walked into the kitchen. He had awoken from one of his own nightmares (this time killing and eating a dog of all things) to find Wayne not there with him. He was tugging his own dressing gown close around him and his glasses were sitting haphazardly on his face.

"You could call it that." Wayne smiled up at the man as he approached, and reached out to gently wrap his arm around Bernard's waist to pull him closer. "Just told him about Nina."

"About time," Bernard said with a yawn, covering his mouth as he did.

"Please don't start," Megamind muttered into his hands.

"I didn't say anything," replied the librarian with a frown.

"Guys, guys," Wayne sighed. "Please not now?"

It was common knowledge that Megamind and Bernard didn't get along. They hadn't gotten along since their first meeting, Megamind having been wary of the werewolf since day one, and Bernard just clashed with the blue-headed man. Sure he was a vampire hunter, and a damn good one, but he could act like a brat most times. It got on Bernard's nerves, and he wasn't one to hide his opinion on things.

Bernard huffed and leaned into Wayne, lifting a hand to toy with the man's hair. "So what are you going to do, blue man?"

"I don't know, Wolf man," Megamind replied dryly, lowering his hands to look up at the man. "What would you do? The woman who you called Mother, who took off suddenly, returns and wants to see you."

Musing on it briefly, Bernard shrugged. "Tell her to take a hike."

"Bernard!" Wayne gasped.

"What? I'm being honest," replied Bernard. "She chose to leave, didn't she? She didn't want to see you two get hurt, but come on. Life is pain. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to sell you something useless. Now she's back and wants to fix things, which is amiable I admit, but still doesn't detract from the fact _she_ left."

"But that's just your opinion. You're not telling Megamind to do that, are you?" Wayne asked through gritted teeth.

"No. I'm not." Bernard sighed. "What he does is up to him. If he wants to see her, let him see her. If he doesn't, don't make him feel bad about it."

"I wasn't about to make him feel bad about it," Wayne replied quickly.

"Look, honey," he placed both his hands on either side of Wayne's face. "I'm glad you were able to reconnect with her. I am. But you can't make your brother do the same if he doesn't want to. That's called being a bully, and you're not a bully. Now come back to bed. It's cold and I need something big and hot to cling to." He kissed him, despite Megamind being right there, and pulled away before leaving the kitchen. "G'night blue man," he called as he did.

"Ngh ngh," Megamind said through his nose. While he had no problem with Bernard and Wayne being together like this, what he did mind was when they would kiss in front of him. He and Roxanne never kissed in front of _them._ That was private, and personal.

"He's right. I'm sorry if I sounded like I was trying to force you," Wayne said as he got to his feet, grabbing his empty glass as he did. "And about going back to bed. We both need our sleep."

"You go on. I'll go to bed soon," Megamind said, and it wasn't long until he was alone in the kitchen again. Sighing, he got to his feet and took his own empty glass to the sink and left it in there before leaning forward, and peered out the large window. Outside was the garden, the topiary bushes gleaming in the pale moonlight, and there was a slight mist moving in from the north. His dream suddenly flashed through his memory and he was disturbed to see just how much of the outside world mirrored his dream.

Shivering, he moved and made his way back up the stairs to his bedroom. Quietly he opened the door, tip-toed across the floor, and climbed back into the bed besides the sleeping form of Roxanne. She was on her side and in a fetal position, a pose she took on when she was alone in the bed. Easily he drew in close against her back, and buried his head into her back and shut his eyes while his hand rested on her hip.

"Are you all right?" her voice was soft in the darkness, but full of concern.

"You should be asleep," Megamind replied quietly.

"So should you," Roxanne retorted, tilting her head back to try and look over her shoulder at him.

"Nightmare. Then Wayne found me in the kitchen," he explained as his hand massaged her side slowly before he wrapped it around her front, resting his hand on her stomach. "He told me about Nina." He wasn't yet ready to say the word 'Mother'. Would he ever? He didn't know.

"He said he would," she said as she covered his hand with both of hers. "I'm glad he did... how do you feel?"

"Confused. I don't know what to do," he admitted, hating sounding unsure of himself since it just wasn't _him._ So much of him had changed these past few months...

"That's understandable. But whatever you choose to do is your choice," Roxanne said as she settled herself against the cushion again and let her eyes shut on a tired yawn. "And in future wear your slippers when you go downstairs. Your feet are cold as ice."

"Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time, mister."

"Such a loving, understanding woman. What did I do to deserve you again?" Megamind asked as he pressed a kiss against her shoulder.

"Absolutely everything," she smiled before she rolled over onto her back, then her side again, so she could wrap her arms around him and pulled him in close. "Silly question."

"Right. Silly question," he agreed before she kissed him, stopping him from saying anything more. God, he loved her kisses so much. They seemed to be the only thing to uncloud his mind and send all his worries and woes skittering for shelter. She was warm all over, and his cold body readily welcomed her warmth and presence. He kissed her back as tenderly as he could, but was soon surprised to find himself on his back and the woman now laying on top of him and her hands creeping up under his pajama top.

Hadn't they been trying to fall back to sleep?

Ah well. It could wait.

_To be continued_


	2. Meet the Parents

"So we're pretty much telling the truth save for the fact you're a vampire hunter and an alien. Right?" Roxanne asked as she sat in the passenger side of the car while she gave Megamind directions through the suburbs.

Today was the big day. Her parents, and sisters, were all having dinner at her parents place and that was an opportune moment for Megamind (or Ethelwine) to finally make his appearance and meet them. Roxanne would, also, announce her pregnancy which she was sure her parents were already 100% certain of. How was it they could pick it up before even she could? She didn't understand.

Megamind looked nervous, and his knuckles were almost white since he was holding the steering wheel so tightly in them. He had already donned a disguise, the 'John' one that he had wore when he had met Roxanne at the gala all those months ago. Only he had added hair to the look, so he wouldn't come off as too strange to Roxanne's family.

"Right." he said after a moment of taking in the scenery of the suburb. This was a part of town he hadn't been to before since it was surprisingly vampire-free. Rare, but nice when it happened.

"Don't be so nervous. They'll love you." Roxanne assured him.

"Ah... we'll see." Megamind hated these nerves. Why wouldn't they leave him be?

They soon parked outside the house and Megamind took a moment to take in the sight of it. So this was the house Roxanne had grown up in. It was rightly beautiful because of it, and he envied that swing since he had never had one of his own. It just looked so... perfect. No wonder Roxanne had turned out amazing if she had grown up in such a beautiful spot.

"From the looks of things only one of my sisters is here... come on." Roxanne patted his hand and got out of the car and waited for him to follow suit. Naturally they had taken the Bentley. The Invisible car was no good for this place.

"I'm actually afraid. I don't like this." Megamind said as she held his hand in hers while they walked up the garden path. "I want to run."

"Nice." Roxanne said sourly. "Come on, they're my family. Don't be worried."

"I'm not worried. I'm scared. There's a difference."

Roxanne laughed and kissed his cheek before ringing the door bell.

It was pulled open seconds later by Roxanne's younger sister, who looked a lot older wearing that pinstripe business skirt and jacket, Amanda. She had jet black hair and was tied in a long plait that reached all the way down her back, and her beautiful deep brown eyes looked hard edged and critically at Megamind for a fraction of a second before she opened her arms out to Roxanne. "Roxi," she smiled with her thinly painted lips. "It's been far too long."

"Mandy! Gosh I know right?" Roxanne hugged her little sister tightly before pulling back and eyed her outfit. "Just came from work?"

"Stock market doesn't stop for the weekend." Mandy replied before looking back at Megamind, setting her hands on her hips in a very Roxanne-like way. "So, this is him is it? The one Mum's been telling me about?"

"Hello." Megamind tried to sound sure of himself but it came out as a squeak. This woman was intimidating, all sharp angles and heels and that mascara.

"Is that Roxanne?"

Then her mother was there, and Caroline pulled Roxanne into another hug before smiling broadly at the young man who had accompanied her daughter. "And you, you must be Ethelwine. I must say that's quite a distinguished name you have."

"Thank you Mrs. Ritchi." Megamind said quietly.

"Oh don't call me that. I'm Caroline. Come in, come in! I'm afraid Julie isn't here yet. Her band practice ran late." she ushered her daughters and the man inside before shutting the door behind them. "Charlie! Roxi's here!"

Megamind was keenly aware that Mandy was watching him as he was led down the hallway through to the main entertainment area. He finally saw Roxanne's father and felt his stomach empty out. He was massive. He might even be the same height as Wayne! While he wasn't as board it was obvious this was a man, even in his sixties, could most probably give Megamind a run for his money if it came to fists.

"Well then. Let's have a look at you." Charles said as he approached Megamind while Roxanne remained standing besides him, knowing better than to leave him unaccompanied in her father's presence.

"Hello… uh... Charles." Megamind wasn't sure if he should try calling him sir, Mr. Ritchi, or something else.

"Charlie works." Charles responded as he held his hand out and when he shook Megamind's hand it felt like he was going to rip his arm out. "Nice to finally meet you Ethelwine. We haven't heard much 'bout you I'm afraid."

"Daddy..." Roxanne warned.

"What? It's the truth." he let go so Megamind could start to get feeling back in his fingers. "Good handshake there, I like that."

"Oh good." Megamind said which made the man laugh. He hadn't meant to be funny, but... whatever helps break the ice?

"I like him so far." Charles informed Roxanne bluntly, despite Megamind standing right there.

Roxanne smiled. "I'm glad."

The front door was suddenly opened and in walked Roxanne's other sister. She had a shaved head. That's the first thing Megamind noticed. She was dressed in black clothing comprised of big leather boots with studs, skin tight black jeans, multiple belts around her slender middle while like Roxanne, she had good hips. She had at least two spiked collars around her neck and her shirt was first a fishnet long sleeved thing with a simple black tank top over that. She had a nose piercing, lip piercing, and her ears had at least three piercings each. Thick black eyeliner circled her eyes, and black eye shadow dotted her eyelids.

The only thing of color about her was her red lipstick and nothing else.

"Julie!" Roxanne went over to her other sister who enthusiastically embraced her.

Megamind could only stare.

"You're looking great, Roxanne." Julie smiled.

"So are you! I love what you've done with your hair." she joked.

"Oh yeah, I'm glad I couldn't do a thing with it." grinned the younger woman before peering around her sister to see Megamind. "Ah yeah I forgot you're bringing your new beau today!" she went over to him and stuck out her hand. "Heya, I'm Julie. You heard of me?" she asked.

"Yes, I have..." Megamind shook her hand. "I like your um... blackness?" he asked.

She laughed. "Thanks. I been like this since I was sixteen. Daddy!" she was suddenly hugging the tall man tightly. "Are you growing a beard?"

"No, you guys just arrived as I was going to shave." he informed her while he hugged her back.

"What is with her outfit?" Megamind whispered to Roxanne.

"That's Julie. It's who she is. Just like how Mandy loves her suits." Roxanne shrugged.

"And they're twins." he stated.

"Not identical, thankfully." Mandy said, who had suddenly joined the conversation.

"Ah!" Megamind jumped.

"Relax, I don't blame you for questioning my twin's fashion taste. I've done that since I can remember." she said, eyeing her sister.

"My ears are burning~" Julie sung.

"Well that means your latest piercings are infected, then." countered Mandy.

"Girls, girls." Charles said, lifting his hand for attention and got it. He was, after all, the king of the house. "Come on let's not scare Roxanne's man with our petty bickering."

"It's no big deal." Megamind spoke out. "My own family's a little like this." if anything, Mandy reminded him of Bernard a little.

"I think every family is." Roxanne smiled, taking his hand into hers and squeezed it gently.

"Okay everyone!" Caroline reappeared from her vanishing act into the kitchen. "Lunch is pretty much on. Girls, can you help me set the table up?" she asked.

Julie and Mandy followed their mother while Roxanne hung back to look at Megamind. She gave his hand one last squeeze before looking at her father. "Be nice to him, Daddy. Please?"

"I'll be nice as I can be." agreed the man.

Megamind watched Roxanne go, before he looked up at the tall man.

"You wanna sit?" Charles asked.

"Yes."

He found a seat in a arm chair and glanced around the room. It was full of bookcases and books, awards were on display, and of course there were family photos. He spotted some framed baby photos and he could recognize Roxanne straight away; that tiny beauty spot was even there as a baby. He smiled faintly.

"So Ethelwine," Charles said. "You're a lawyer?" he asked.

"Hmmh." Megamind nodded. "Business law."

"Sounds like a right mess."

"It gets very messy." Megamind said. "Cut throat business you know."

"I know son. I was in the army my whole life." Charles replied.

"Your whole life?" Megamind asked, eyes wide.

"I enlisted as soon as I was old enough." the man shrugged and glanced up at the portrait of him in his army uniform. "My family's been in the army for several generations and I followed my heart in what I wanted to do."

"Wow."

"I appreciate the wow." Charles smirked.

"So how did you meet.. uh. Your wife?" Megamind asked.

"Shore leave." replied the man. "I'd been in the army, what... five years. I came home for a break, and on my first day back I ran into Caroline in a coffee shop."

"Simple as that?"

"Simple as that. How about you and Roxanne, how did you two meet?" Charles asked.

_I saved her from a blood-thirsty vampire._

"Ah, is it fair for me to give you spoilers? I think your wife and two other daughters want to hear that story too." Megamind smiled nervously.

"Good point. I hope it's a good one."

"I know it is, because it's the day I met her." he hadn't meant to gush it like that, but it had just happened without any forewarning.

Charles raised an eyebrow and gave a small, proud smile. Yes, that had been a good answer. A _brilliant_ one, even.

"Boys!" Caroline called. "Food's on!"

The dining table had been laid out with quite a spread including a casserole, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, a leg of lamb and bread rolls. Minion would have loved it. Naturally Charles sat at the head of the table with Caroline to his right. On his left sat Julie and Mandy and on the other side besides her mother sat Roxanne. That left Megamind to sit at the _other_ end of the table.

"Oh this looks delicious." he complimented Caroline.

"Thank you Ethelwine! Now come on, help yourselves..."

There was small chit chat while the food was passed around. Seemed Julie's band had an opening gig on a big event happening in Metro City park the following weekend. It was for youth to attend, so it was alcohol and drug free but there were always idiots who tried sneaking either in. No doubt there'd be drug dogs about. Steadily her band's following was growing, and their records were finally making some money back. Mandy, meanwhile, was on the verge of some kind of business proposal that would rake in the millions if they were lucky. Roxanne talked about her position at work and how things were a lot easier having given up her column in the paper.

Then the questions started, and of course when Megamind was eating some mashed potato. Julie had just offered Roxanne some wine but she discreetly declined.

"So tell us, Ethelwine, how _did_ you come to meet Roxanne?" Mandy asked.

"Oh yes please, details!" Julie grinned.

"It's going back a few months now." Roxanne helped.

"May 20th to be exact." Megamind spoke up, which seemed to impress Charles and Caroline. "Friday night in the city, and I had just finished up with a client and I felt I deserved a drink. So," he picked up his glass of water. He was driving after all and couldn't afford to drink anything especially if his pregnant girlfriend was going to be in the car with him. "I head to a near by hang out and just 'round the corner from there I see this guy harassing somebody."

"Oh no." Caroline said.

Roxanne flushed.

"He's obviously drunk but he's a mean one. Doing the right thing I go over and manage to see the guy off, and that's when I first met her." he gestured to Roxanne. "She'd been celebrating, right?"

"Yes." Roxanne mumbled, embarrassed he would mention her being harassed. But at least he left out it was a vampire. And that she was running for her life. "I was a bit drunk myself."

"Oh Roxi." Caroline tsked. "I'm just glad the incident got by without anyone getting hurt."

_Oh if only you knew._ Roxanne thought.

"You came to her rescue? Oh my God." Julie clapped her hands together. "That's so awesome. Like a knight in designer clothing."

"He actually helped me get home that night too and before you ask Mandy no he did not come in." Roxanne said, cutting off her sister since it seemed she was opening her mouth to speak. "He was very polite."

"So did you exchange numbers?" Julie asked.

"Surprisingly no." Roxanne said.

"So how did you meet again?"

"He was at that big gala for KGMP 8, turns out he does some business with the company. I was there, minding my own business, suddenly there he is." Roxanne smiled at him, even with that disguise on she had recognized him so easily. Those beautiful eyes were impossible to miss once you knew them. "We got to talking, and he asked me to dance."

"Do you have a brother?" Mandy suddenly asked.

"Uh. Yes." Megamind answered. "His name's Wayne."

"Mandy come on now." Charles said. "You don't need help finding men."

"Oh yes I do. What's he like?"

"Taken." Roxanne informed her quickly. "And somewhat homosexual."

"All the good ones are either taken or gay. I swear to God."

"So is it just you and your brother, Ethelwine?" Caroline asked.

"Oh, no. Well..." Megamind thought fast. "I have a younger brother too."

"Is _he_ taken?" Mandy asked.

"No." Megamind answered before realizing he should have said yes. "Ah... his name is Minh."

"Adopted?" Charles asked.

"Oh we all are. Myself, Wayne, Minh... my parents couldn't have children so they adopted." Megamind said truthfully.

"Isn't that nice?" Caroline asked. "So three sons? No daughters?"

"Ah, no afraid not." Megamind replied. "And Father died when I was only thirteen too."

"What about your mother?" she asked. "Did she take care of you?"

Roxanne saw Megamind freeze. She took over quickly. "His mother and father actually... had a bit of a fall out when he was only five. They divorced, and she's only just now tried to get back in touch with him."

Megamind gave her a look. She shouldn't have said that. That much was personal.

"Oh sweetie I'm sorry to hear that." Caroline said softly. "But at least she's trying to form a connection with you all again."

"I guess." Megamind mumbled quietly.

"It isn't hard for a mother to abandon her children. I'm sure it was very painful for her, if not more so than it is now trying to contact you again. Have you spoken with her?" Caroline asked.

"No not... not yet." he answered.

"It's his choice if he does or doesn't." Roxanne spoke up. "She hurt him very deeply."

"Some wounds need to hurt more before they can heal." Charles spoke up. "Maybe this is the last push before that wound fixes itself."

Megamind said nothing more on the subject so he busied himself with a drink of water.

The rest of the meal was more small talk about this, and that, and Megamind gave his opinion when asked but was more or less an observer of the family. So this was the small family who had helped shape Roxanne into the woman she was today... he could certainly see her in both of her parents. Caroline not only had the same facial shape but she had that playful, joking kind of temperament that Roxanne used on occasion when the mood suited her. Yet in her father, that tall, rock jawed army man who would defend his family until his dying breath, was all direct and honest. Roxanne got that way when talking about her job, and didn't mess around when it came to serious matters.

He found it hilarious though to notice it was her _Father_ who was the one with the beauty spot on his chin that Roxanne had inherited. Her sisters though, didn't have it.

Mandy was serious like her Father, but not the same 'type' of serious. You felt that if you put a word wrong with her she'd come down on you like a ton of bricks, cutting at you with her sharp tongue and leaving you a pile of whimpering mass when she chose to finally be rid of our existence. Her determination in finding a man was obvious, since she kept asking Megamind about his 'brother' Minh and what he was like. Megamind just hoped she didn't want to go on a date with the fish since that would be... yeah. Awkward.

Then there was Julie, fun loving, quirky, joking Julie who didn't seem as though she could take anything too seriously outside of her love of music. He learned throughout the rest of the meeting with the family that Julie was actually already engaged to a man by the name of Nathan whom she used to date in college and who had been on and off again for years. The idea of this bald, leather wearing, spike clad woman having a fiancé was mind blowing.

He couldn't deny he admired a woman with a bald head though. But nothing compared to Roxanne's beauty, absolutely nothing.

It was after the meal now, washing machine filled, the family had filtered outside into the backyard to sit on the patio and talk a bit more. Megamind watched as Roxanne purposely sat besides him and away from her father since he was pulling out a lighter. He smoked? Well, to each their own really...

"I wish you wouldn't, it smells awful." Caroline said as she plumped the pillow on the chair she was going to sit on.

"Let a man have a few basic pleasures, woman." Charles replied jokingly, to which she huffed in his general direction.

"Actually," Roxanne said after clearing her throat and subtly took hold of Megamind's hand into hers. "I... I'd like it if you didn't, at least while I'm here Daddy."

"Oh?" he asked, and this seemed to get everyone else's attention which was something since the twins had been in the middle of a private debate over whether Mandy should get her ears pierced or not. Julie was all for it and was listing all the guys she knew who could do it at a great price, even free, but Mandy didn't want to go to one of _those_ places to do it.

"Um. Yes." Roxanne said quietly, suddenly not all that fond of being in the spotlight despite her job being that of a news reporter. Speaking into a camera was one thing, speaking in front of your family with some big news was something else entirely.

"Don't you feel well, Roxi?" her mother asked as she sat down. "Are you still feeling unwell from before?"

"That's one word for it." Megamind mumbled, to which Roxanne jabbed him in the stomach. "Sorry!"

"Fact of the matter is... well. I'm going to have a baby." Roxanne said with a lot more calm and dignity than how she had shouted it at her boyfriend. "You were right, Daddy. I was pregnant. I just didn't know it at the time. But it's been confirmed... I am."

Her sisters stared at her in total shock, and Caroline looked so excited all of a sudden. Charles, meanwhile, continued to look at her in the same watchful way like before.

"Congratulations!" Caroline finally cried, getting up from her seat quickly to embrace not only Roxanne but Megamind too. "I knew it, I knew it!" she said excitedly while Megamind's eyes widened at her embrace. He hadn't expected that.

"I knew it. You told me not to be crazy." Charles said.

"Oh hush! Our daughter's having a baby, that's wonderful news!" Caroline chided her husband.

"It is wonderful." he agreed, nodding as Julie rushed over to Roxanne and hugged her too.

"You're making me an aunt, that is so amazing!" she grinned. "I'm going to be the greatest aunt ever. This kid's going to be spoilt rotten."

"Oh boy." Mandy rolled her eyes but still gave Roxanne a hug. "This will be fun."

"So what are you two going to do?" Charles asked both Roxanne and Megamind. "Are you living together?"

"Mm." Roxanne nodded as she took Megamind's hand back into hers again for the support. "I've been living with him since I found out. It just... I don't know. Feels better having him near by when I can."

"I'm going to be cutting back on work too. I don't want to be away if anything major happens during the pregnancy. Especially when the birth happens." Megamind explained though in reality he didn't know how he could 'cut back on work' with his job.

"What about marriage?" Mandy asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Mandy, that's their choice." Caroline scolded slightly. "Remember, your father and I didn't get married until Roxanne was five. Just because she's pregnant doesn't mean they have to tie the knot right away. They just need to be together, and support one another throughout this whole big... well. Adventure the two of you are about to embark on. Of course I'll be available any time for babysitting you realize this?" she asked.

Megamind now began to seriously wonder what kind of child they would have. What if the baby was blue? How could you explain that? Or an overly large head? Chalk it up to a genetic default? oh God. And the sudden proposition of marriage, that was another thing that had never dawned on him until now. Did Roxanne want to get married? Did _he_ want to get married? He once thought that he would never be given the option of either having children or marriage at all so to suddenly find two options being very liable it was like... lightning had struck him twice. His hand in Roxanne's suddenly tightened more and she glanced at him with a soft smile. She thought he was just worried about something else, didn't she? Oh boy.

"You'll have to fight Mini... Minh over that, then. He said he'd love to watch the baby for us if he can. So has Wayne and Bernard." Roxanne smiled.

"You guys will be lucky to even hold the kid once it comes out by that rate." Charles smirked. "So how far along are you?"

"Seven weeks this Tuesday." Megamind answered, and Roxanne smirked. He knew everything, didn't he?

"Oh!" Caroline gasped. "I can lend you the baby books I have, they're full of information about all sorts of things! If you want I can even give you some of you girls old baby clothes. Uh, if it's a girl I mean." she smiled faintly.

"That'd be a help yeah, but it's far too early to even determine what it is yet." Roxanne said as she touched her own stomach subconsciously.

"Besides a miracle." Megamind said out loud before he could stop himself.

"Oh now that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard." Caroline smiled, clasping her hands together. "When I told Charles I was pregnant he asked me if I was half asleep."

"Well you did collect call me while I was in Africa." Charles pointed out.

"That's besides the point." she replied, setting her hands on her hips.

"Right, of course." Charles smirked.

* * *

><p>By the time Megamind and Roxanne left the house their arms were laden with left overs and deserts. Roxanne told her boyfriend that this was just the way things were done in her family; no doubt her sisters would be given leftovers too when they left as well. It happened every time, without fail.<p>

"Your Mother still said I was too skinny." Megamind muttered.

"She says that about everyone." Roxanne laughed, reaching over and rubbed his leg reassuringly. "But you must admit, you _are_ skinny."

"It's not my fault it's my genetics!" He spluttered. "Both my parents were skinny!"

"I still find it astounding that you can remember your parents." she replied, watching him carefully. "Your kind... their memories must have been huge."

He shrugged weakly. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't remember everything."

"I know." Roxanne replied gently. "Some things are best forgotten."

Megamind only nodded, and they drove in relative silence for a while before Roxanne giggled suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just remembering! Mandy made me promise to give Minion her number!" Roxanne laughed and clapped her hands together. "Oh my God, I feel so bad for her!"

"I feel bad for Minion." Megamind said. "He's never been on a date in his life, I don't know how he'll react to this."

"I don't know, do you think I should give it to him? I mean, you were pretty honest about him. Cooking, cleaning, sewing... keeping out the fact he's an alien fish in a gorilla robot suit though. I can just tell her he isn't interested..." she mused.

"I can't believe we're actually discussing this." he snorted. "No, we can't give him her number. He's a fish. He's never showed interest in anyone."

"Mandy isn't so bad though, is she?" she asked.

"I don't think she'd mesh well with Minion." Megamind replied honestly, but didn't answer the question smartly.

"No, I don't think so either... she can be pretty domineering." Roxanne admitted, sighing.

"...I'll still tell him that a girl is interested in him though. Just to see how he'll react."

"Oh you're awful!"

"I know."

She chuckled and looked out the window wistfully, hands resting on her stomach as she did.

Megamind glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before looking back to the road in front of him. The question of marriage suddenly bloomed in his mind like a great flower bursting open at the first rays of sunlight for the day. Did Roxanne want to get married to him? They hadn't been together four months yet, but they were living together... she was pregnant... was this considered moving too fast? He guessed it would be for most people. But he loved her, he really did; that much he was 100% sure on. But marriage?

Would he want to raise a child out of wedlock? Roxanne had been raised that way until she was five, and she was fine. It makes no real difference at all.

But the idea of standing in a tuxedo besides Roxanne, who would wear a flowing white gown and holding a small bouquet suddenly shimmered in his imagination and he didn't know how to feel about it.

Life really had changed a lot recently...

"Megamind? Megamind!" Roxanne's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "What are you doing?" she asked.

What was he doing? He was taking a side road suddenly through the city, not going in the direction of home at all. Megamind put the brakes on and pulled up onto the curb, knuckles white against the wheel. "Sorry, I just..."

That's when he felt it. He turned his head away from her, his eyes widening as he did. "Stay in the car."

"What?" Roxanne asked as he suddenly reached into the back seat and pulled out his sword from where he kept it. He also quickly strapped a stake to his leg before climbing out of the car. "Oh for... now? How do you know these things?" she asked, partly exasperated but also amazed.

"I don't know." he admitted weakly before taking off into the shadows and soon vanished from sight.

Roxanne locked the doors quickly before sitting back in her seat, and sighed.

"Crazy."

_To be continued_


	3. Innocence Lost

He hadn't suspected that he would have spent so much time meeting Roxanne's parents, so Megamind was genuinely surprised when he saw the sun was already setting beyond the far horizon as he walked along the side street. The area was the cusp of the city, that friendly, relaxed atmosphere of the suburbs meshing with the harsh, massive feeling that cities tended to give off if they were especially huge, like Metro City was.

The long shadows of the tall multi-storey buildings fell over Megamind as he continued to walk, following his gut instinct that was telling him where to go. Well, to be technical it was telling him where _not_to go, trying to alert him to the fact there was danger to the right so maybe we should go left. Normally it took a recorded sighting, or suspicious activity to call Megamind out to a job. Up until recently that had been the norm, but nowadays...

Megamind was just turning a corner when he fell backwards, slamming his back up against the wall at what he had just seen around the corner. A child had lain there on the ground on her back, eyes wide and dead, while something huge and hungry was feasting on her blood and flesh. He had years of experience dealing with vampires, with the monsters of the world, yet the alien had never grown accustomed to seeing children being involved in it. The man had seen his fair share of slain children and it always made him feel irrationally disgusted and angry… and that was before he had become a father-to-be.

His mind suddenly flashed with the image of a child, like him, with blue skin, being attacked by a vampire. It filled him with a sense of both dread, and utter rage. There was no time for banter or taking his time, the time for that was long gone. He unsheathed his sword and ran around the corner, silver blade glinting in the streetlight, and struck the beast against its back.

It screamed and jumped out of the way of the blade as its blood pooled from the open wound on its shoulder, and turning its head, red eyes glared at Megamind. Rich, thick blood still clotted its jaws and mouth, and pieces of fabric clung between its teeth. The alien felt sickened, and when the beast had gathered enough of its senses to attempt an attack on him his sword moved with swift, definite purpose. His Father's sword hadn't been too far out of reach ever since he had first acquired it over a month ago, the only material object left after the death of the man who raised him. It worked beautifully, so much so that sometimes Megamind would romanticize the notion that it could remember all the techniques it had been used with, and knew how to kill and could do it alone if it didn't need to be held.

All silly notions of course, since a sword was a sword and was a tool for a man or women to use, not the other way around.

"Monster. Monster. Monster..!" Megamind kept repeating every time his blade came in contact with the animal, which didn't seem capable of processing the fact it was bleeding from so many wounds. It suddenly got a good swing in, and Megamind felt the wind knocked out of him as its massive paw came in contact with his stomach. His footing hadn't been right, his anger had opened him up to attack, and now he paid for it. He went rolling like a rag doll tossed aside by a spoiled child. But he stopped himself and got to his feet, only suffering from a fresh, purple bruise growing beneath his clothes.

The changeling was crouching now, ready for another leaping attack. He could read its body language as if it was singing to him, yet how had he missed the giant paw coming at him? Why was his mind so cloudy? A glance reminded him, since he saw the dead little girl there on the floor, her blood staining her simple creamy-orange dress. Even her hair, rich and blonde, was stained with blood and from here he could see the expression that would be forever frozen on her face. Pure, never-ending terror.

Having enough, Megamind ducked down as the beast leapt at him, and plunged the sword into the chest of the vampire. A cracking noise filled the air, a shattered chest plate pierced flesh, and blood splashed onto Megamind as he pushed the beast off. He staggered back, breathing hard, as the creature began to turn to ash and, naturally, cling to his clothes. Normally he would complain and moan about it but tonight he couldn't.

He hated to do it, but he looked across at the dead little girl, and felt sick.

"Why?" he asked aloud. The poor girl. Her poor parents. Her poor family. Now they would have to cook up the idea of a killer on the loose, the police would get involved, and the parents would never truly know what happened to their daughter. She would remain an unsolved case for the rest of time, her only true reason for dying would be known secretly, locked away forever.

"I hate this," Megamind announced quietly. "I HATE THIS," he echoed, louder.

"_So why do you do it?_"

The voice startled him and he spun around, sword at the ready and eyes wide. It sounded like it belonged to a woman, but a woman whose voice was being heard from down a long, dark hallway. He half expected to see a speaker sitting somewhere but, instead, he saw a... shape of a woman sitting in the shadows a few feet from him. Had she always been there? Why wasn't she screaming? Wouldn't any old woman scream at seeing a man fighting a big black beast who was feasting on a dead child? Something was wrong.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"_No one of importance. Yet,_" she answered, her beady, twinkling eyes staring out at him from the darkness in which she surrounded herself. "A monster, you called her," the old woman continued, gesturing to the ash which was once a vampire.

"In case you haven't noticed, grandma, she was eating a child." Megamind frowned.

"_She was eating to survive,_" said the woman.

"Survive? So that makes it all right for her to just... just... look at her!" Megamind turned, and gestured to the little girl. "She had a life ahead of her! She could have made a difference, now... now it's gone. All lost because some stupid monster got hungry! And what do you know of it? Huh? Are you one of them?" He suddenly had his sword ready, watching the shape of the old woman.

"_Put that sword down,_" she hissed, but not out of fear but annoyance. "_I'm no threat to you._"

"Who are you? What are you?" Megamind asked, not making a move to lower the sword.

"_Somebody who knows what you are. That skin you wear is not your own._"

Megamind froze.

"_The world should see your skin for what it is._" She smiled in the darkness, and he could barely make out a single tooth in her gummy mouth.

"You aren't a part of the Family..." so how would she know him? Was she a spy? If so, for who? The vampires? Government? Surely not, the government was well aware of the Family's populace so there's no reason to spy. She had to be working for the vampires, and that idea made him lift his sword all over again. "Tell me who you are. Now!"

"_So rude. I would have thought your Father would have raised you better. You're becoming quite the monster, yourself._"

"I am _not_a monster," Megamind shot back.

"_Denial._"

"I'm warning you, old woman..."

"_Anger._"

Megamind said nothing. His eyes remained narrowed, but his sword slowly began to lower. "Monster?" he asked.

"_You'll see,_"smiled the woman.

He was about to ask what she was talking about, but there was a sudden whooshing noise in the air. It was so loud, it sounded as though a jet engine had suddenly roared to life right next to him. He covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly, and bent over somewhat to shield himself from the gust of wind that he could hear, yet not feel. When the noise abruptly ended, Megamind looked to where the woman had been sitting but she was gone. Rushing forward he reached out to where she been, but found no evidence she had been there at all. Not even the warmth of her body against the wall.

* * *

><p>Roxanne watched as he reappeared from where he had vanished into the shadows, and she could plainly see from the look on his face things hadn't gone well. He looked like he was in one piece, which was a good thing, so she unlocked the door and got out of the car to greet him. "What happened?" she asked softly.<p>

He said nothing, at first.

"Megamind?" Roxanne spoke softly, reaching out to him and touching his shoulders. "Honey, what happened?"

"Can you drive?" he asked quietly. "I just. I need to... not drive."

"Sure I can but what...?" She allowed him to get into the passenger seat and set his sword in the back while she moved around to the driver's side. Roxanne had seen all kinds of varying expressions on the blue man when he came back from a hunt. Sometimes he was victorious, or sad, shaken, proud, smug and all manner of feelings, but today he looked... absolutely shattered.

"It wasn't good," Megamind said as she began to drive, looking out of the window. "It was a changeling."

"Oh dear." Roxanne knew them. How could you forget them when one had come crashing through your window and tried to strangle you?

"She-it. It had killed a child."

Roxanne looked at him, eyes wide, before remembering where she was. She went back to driving, color draining from her face. "Oh God. No."

"It wasn't... wasn't pretty. I had to draw people's attention to her. Had to disguise myself as a woman to get people running to find her and then just.. change again to get away before someone suspected me. It's always hard, when it's a child but given recent developments..." Megamind trailed into silence. Roxanne didn't have to ask what he was getting at, she too had felt a powerful up rise of emotions at the fact the victim had been a child and she didn't have to wonder why.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, wanting to reach out and offer him proper condolences, but she couldn't. They were still very far from home.

Not as much as he was. If he had been quicker, if he hadn't been in such a daze and allowed his instincts take over, he could have been there to save the little girl. She wouldn't be just another statistic, another unsolved murder in a city like this, she could be alive. He had failed her, and Megamind never liked feeling a failure. On top of that he had the words of that woman still ringing in his mind. Becoming a monster? What did she mean by that? He wasn't a monster, he was an alien. There were differences, striking ones at that. He worked on the good side, but maybe she was a baddie all along and to her anyone who slew her brethren was a monster? There were too many questions and no answers to be found.

The rest of the drive was done in silence, because even if the meeting of Megamind and Roxanne's family had gone well, the death of a child could destroy any positive a person could feel with little effort whatsoever.

* * *

><p>Bernard easily picked up that something was wrong when Roxanne and Megamind came home. The alien looked on edge and worried, while Roxanne looked concerned. Her hand was in his and she was speaking softly to him, and Bernard really <em>did<em>try to control himself and not listen to the conversation from his place across the dining room.

"-it's not your fault. It's not right to blame yourself. All right?" Roxanne was saying.

"I know."

"Knowing is one thing, accepting is another," she replied gently. "Go upstairs and try and unwind a bit, all right? I'll be up soon."

The blue man nodded and they shared a quick kiss before he vanished up the stairs. Bernard watched as Roxanne walked into the room and collapsed into a chair, groaning as she did.

"Family meeting not go according to plan?" Bernard asked, since he could only assume that's what had happened. "Didn't your folks like him?"

"Hn?" Roxanne lifted her head and spotted Bernard, having not even seen him since she had been so caught up in her thoughts. "Oh, no. No." She shook her head, and placed a hand against her temple. "They love him. Daddy likes him, Mum adores him and even my sisters have found something in him which they like..."

"So why the long face?" he asked.

"Something happened on the way home." Roxanne sat up slightly and told him what had happened. That Megamind had picked up on a vampire's location, somehow, and had sent off to investigate only to find a mangled body of a child and a changeling feasting on her. He of course had defeated the beast, but felt horrible that a little girl had died. Megamind knew the war wasn't really over; even if Dracula was well and truly done with there were still the leftovers. Vampires still roamed, still feasted frequently, and had to be dealt with accordingly.

Bernard sighed, and lowered his glasses to clean them on his blue turtleneck.

"Nothing much to be said about that," he said.

"Huh?" Roxanne asked.

"There's casualties all the time. I know I sound like a cold-hearted prick, but it happens. Kids have died at the hands of monsters like vampires and.. well, me, for centuries," Bernard said.

"You're not a monster like them-" she started.

"No, stop," he snapped, holding up his hand and snapping his fingers shut as if he were a puppeteer. "I am. I'm only safe to you, Wayne, and Megamind. Anyone else I might run into will be out of all sorts of luck, and that includes children. Especially children." He pulled back, and replaced his glasses. "They would scream and run, making me want to chase them. I know you guys have accepted me for what I am, but nobody else would. And you have no idea how grateful I am of not only that, but the fact I've never killed a person."

Roxanne looked at him sadly, before getting up from the couch, and went over to the man and lazily slung her arms around his shoulders. "Oh Bernard..."

"Hey hey hey. I don't do cuddles," Bernard whined, trying to squirm away from her.

"Don't fight it. Shhhhhh."Roxanne smiled faintly as she held him against her tightly, and felt the man sigh and finally give in.

"You're lucky you're my friend and pregnant or I'd be flailing like a wet cat," he grumbled.

"I know you would," she soothed, petting his head as if he were a pet dog.

"Hrrrrrr," Bernard growled playfully, even if his expression didn't change. He suddenly paused, and pressed his head closer to her stomach, narrowing an eye. "Huh."

"What?" Roxanne asked, looking down at him.

"How soon is it that you're supposed to be able to hear heart beats?" he asked.

"Uh. I don't... what?" she was confused and it showed.

"I think I can hear the baby's heartbeat already," Bernard told her, pulling back. "Course, that's thanks to my exquisite hearing and my ear being right up against you but... I swear I could hear it."

Roxanne stared at him blankly, before placing her hand over her stomach. She was just barely seven weeks into her pregnancy, but surely it would take longer for the heart beat to be heard on monitors and by doctors. Unless... unless the fact that Megamind was an alien had enhanced the growth rate of the baby growing inside her? Just how long did his species gestate for? Were they small babies, or regular sized? What if they gestated really fast and were both only after a few months instead of nine? These thoughts made her feel uneasy, and she felt a strong urge to go to the library right now in town and find herself a pregnancy book to check against despite knowing she could find the information on the internet instantly.

She couldn't help it; she preferred the familiarity of a book compared to a computer keyboard and screen.

"I've worried you now. Sorry," Bernard said, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. "It's just, I heard it. Pretty fast, too."

"Fetus heart beats are meant to be fast... at least at first..." Roxanne mumbled as her hands rubbed her still-flat stomach. "At least I think so..." Why hadn't she gone about getting a book sooner? She'd been so preoccupied with work and Megamind being sick she hadn't time to go get one.

"Well, they're smaller so I can only assume they'd beat faster," Bernard admitted before getting to his feet suddenly, and nudged her. "Come on, let's go set your heart at ease."

"Huh?" she asked.

"We're going to go get you a book of course. My place?" he asked with a wry smile, of course meaning his precious library.

"I can't, Megamind..." Roxanne looked towards the stairs. "He really needs me right now."

"Megamind's a big boy and I'm sure he's handled this kind of thing before. This isn't a first," Bernard said before nodding, understanding either way. "But I get you. How about I go get them, and you go coddle over your alien boyfriend?"

"Sounds like a plan." She smiled. "Thank you, Bernard."

"No problem."

When Roxanne opened the door to her and Megamind's shared bedroom she saw he had allowed his sword to drop to the floor, a sure sign he wasn't his usual self since that sword was normally given the kind of respect one would expect to find given to a powerful individual. Roxanne knelt and picked up the sword before looking to her boyfriend, who was lying face down on the bed, arms covering the back of his head. His suit jacket had been taken off and tossed aside, as had his shoes.

"What did I tell you about putting your things away?" Roxanne asked softly, with a small smile, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.

"Sorry," Megamind mumbled, blankets muffling his voice.

"I'll forgive you today," she said as she placed the sword amongst its brethren before putting away his jacket and shoes, and promptly joined him on the bed. Roxanne eased herself down beside him, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Megamind... I know it isn't easy but you can't blame yourself for every wrong that happens. It's too much responsibility, you know that..."

Megamind strained a noise out from between his mouth and the blankets before turning his head to look at her, eyes looking so very tired. "It's my job to protect this city, Roxanne... it's my job to make sure nobody dies because of these monsters and... and I didn't, I couldn't..."

"Don't talk that way," Roxanne scowled. "You've saved hundreds, if not thousands of people not only here but the world over by destroying their leader. He would have feasted on people forever, until the sun dies, but you stopped him. By rights you've saved so many people. I know it's sad, and horrible, that a little girl died but you made sure her attacker paid for it. Do you know how many murders go unsolved in this world, Megamind? Too many. Far, far too many. But you ensured the creature that killed her faced the only justice they deserved: death. Now, the Megamind I know wouldn't sit in a room feeling sorry for himself, he would be up and making sure the kill was recorded in our system, that his Father's sword is clean, and be fully aware that his girlfriend is so very, very proud of him."

She stroked the back of his head gently as she spoke, smiling down at him with a determined glint in her eye. Megamind needed a little pick me up, and she was not going to be one to deny him one. "I love you. I love you so, so much. Combine that with how proud I am of you..." she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple, shutting her eyes as she did. "Nothing will ever change that."

He smiled, despite himself, and finally rolled so he could wrap his arms around her, and pulled Roxanne in close. "I love you so much. I hate being like this. I hate being overly emotional. I never used to sulk and whine like this I don't know what's happening," Megamind mumbled as she held him just as tightly.

"Maybe you're having emotional rides like I am?" Roxanne asked playfully. "Most pregnant women get emotional outbursts... maybe you're picking it up?"

"Hah. Maybe..." Megamind said on a small laugh before kissing her neck. "Thank you."

Roxanne wanted to ask him about his kind's pregnancies, wanting to have her own heart set at ease but she didn't know if it was the right time. It didn't feel like it; he had a rough time fighting that vampire, and she didn't want to add onto his stress and make him worry over the baby growing inside of her. Bernard was getting her a book, and who knows, maybe Minion would have a better idea than Megamind did? He was older than Megamind after all, by a few years, so maybe he knew more about these kinds of things...? She hoped so.

His arms around her, though, and his breath against her neck did bring some semblance of calm to her worried mind and she sighed wistfully as she let her eyes slip shut.

Little was she aware of just how much was running through the alien's large, blue head. While the death of the girl had been heart breaking, his mind was racing at that old woman sitting in the shadows, and her dark, eerie words that caused him worry. What had she meant? Would he see her again? What was she? A witch? She hadn't been a vampire, just how he knew that he didn't know but in his heart of hearts the woman hadn't posed a threat as great of that belonging to a vampire and yet still... she had brought on a sense of fear he hadn't felt in ages.

He just hoped questions would present themselves sooner, rather than later.

_To be continued_


	4. Uncertainties

"What are you doing?"

Bernard looked up from the large table where he sat, currently in the manor's library. Standing in the doorway was Wayne, just returning home from another busy day of being a fireman for the city. The man smiled faintly in greeting, sitting up in his chair since he had been slumping over one book in particular, and adjusted his glasses as the other man approached him. "Research."

"Research?" Wayne asked. He dipped down to give him a quick kiss in greeting, but Bernard held him down for a moment or so longer before finally letting him go.

"For Roxanne," Bernard said, waiting for the fog to disperse from his glasses as he looked back down over the pages. "She's a bit worried about the baby."

"Worried? Why?"

Bernard waited until Wayne had pulled a chair out and sat down before explaining. "Because she's just now realized what kind of trouble she might be in for."

"You're making me worried now, Bernard," Wayne said gravely.

"I mean, she doesn't know what Megamind's race was like when it came to gestation or birth. Did they stay in the womb for a long time, or were they a species who only carried their young for a short amount of time? What if they laid eggs? Hell, it might even come bursting out of her stomach like that Xenomorph..." Bernard said as he turned the page, and made a face at the fairly graphic illustration of a baby being born.

"I find that insulting, as a fellow alien." Wayne frowned. "But I can see the reason for worry."

"Humans gestate for nine months... what if his kind gestates for shorter? Or even longer? She could be pregnant for who knows how long, and try to explain that to those around you without giving away that your boyfriend is an alien," pointed out the librarian. "This whole baby thing just makes me all the more grateful that I'm a man, and so are you." He paused suddenly, before eyeing Wayne. "...Unless I can somehow knock you up. Or the other way around..."

"Last I checked, I'm not pregnant," Wayne replied with a smirk. "How about you?" He reached over and pressed his hand to Bernard's stomach. "Any strange cravings or morning sickness?"

"No," Bernard replied, still looking a little apprehensive.

"Relax, Bernard. I don't have ovaries, or anything that can create eggs to inject into hosts. I don't work that know how I work," he said, referring to their intimate moments that they shared in the privacy of their room. "I'm, for all intents and purposes, very much a human male, just with some changes."

"And what changes," mumbled Bernard. His eyes began to slowly trail down Wayne's body before the man reached out, gripped his chin lightly, and lifted his head so they were looking into one another's eyes.

"Anyway, we were talking about Roxanne?" he asked.

"Right, right. Sorry. You're distracting." Bernard tugged free of the man's grasp and looked back down at one of the few books he had borrowed from the library. "While these are fine when it comes to giving birth to a human baby, we really can't be sure what Roxanne is going to give birth to yet. It could be mostly human, but she could also have an exact hybrid. Or a total Megamind-alien baby, and if she does, my God she'll want a C-section."

"Yeah that... that head of his... it was always big, even when I first met him..." Wayne mumbled.

"What's all the hubbub about in here?"

The two men looked to the door and spotted Minion, arms full of laundry.

"Minion!" Wayne sat up in his chair, eyes widening with a bright glint. "Just the fish we wanted to see!"

"Really?" Bernard asked.

"Oh yes? Well, I'd be jealous if you wanted to see any other talking fish." Minion walked into the room and set the basket down on the table. "Need something fixed?"

"No, no. You're older then Megamind, aren't you?" Wayne asked.

"I was five when I was given to him by his parents, yes. Why?" asked the fish.

"Then you need to go and explain to Roxanne how Megamind's race reproduced. How long did the mothers carry the babies for? Are their heads big when they're born, or do they gradually swell as the baby grows? She's just... she's a little scared, and I think she'd appreciate being let in on the finer aspects," the man explained, and Minion began folding up the dried laundry in his basket as he talked.

"Did they come bursting out of the mothers' chests?" Bernard asked, wanting to know first.

Minion scoffed.

"No," he said as he set aside some underwear. "He was born just like any regular mammal."

"Was his head huge?"

"Well. Compared to human babies, maybe just a little bit?" Minion said, folding up some nightclothes now. "But his race all had swelled heads, so it was a good thing for him to be born with a head that size."

"Roxanne's gonna love that," Bernard said dryly.

"And how long?" Wayne asked, wanting to know. "I mean, how long did his mother have to carry him?"

"Oh gee. Um..." The fish had to think back and think very hard over this question. "I think... if I compare it to human months, which they measured differently... around... seven and a half months...?"

"That short?" Wayne asked gravely.

"Mmmhmm. But when he was born he was a healthy size for his kind. Even human beings would call his birth weight healthy and normal," Minion explained.

"So they grow fast inside their mothers..." Wayne mused.

"Not fast for them."

"How about you, Minion? How were you born?" Bernard suddenly asked; all this talk of babies made him honestly curious.

Minion looked surprised, since nobody, outside of Megamind, had ever asked such a thing. The fish grinned toothily. "Well, I was born like any other fish of my planet. My mother deposited her eggs into my father's tentacles, and that's where me and my hundred-some brothers and sisters grew. We were hatched, and stuck by our father, since it was his job to raise us once we were born. I remember when we would get scared we'd hide in his mouth, since it was the safest place for us."

"...Your... father's... tentacles...?" Bernard asked slowly.

The fish wiggled his three tentacles at the two men. "These!"

"So those little... uh... balls, under you, are what...?"

"My balls."

"Oh Jesus!" Wayne looked shocked, while Bernard burst into laughter. "Really?" he asked, honestly surprised by this bit of news about the fish who had always been around him.

Minion began to slowly sink in his water, feeling as though maybe telling them that was the wrong thing to do. If he could blush, he would certainly do it now. "Well... yes?"

"That's amazing!" Bernard laughed, clapping his hands together. "All these years he's had his balls hanging out and nobody noticed!"

"Well now they will!" fretted the fish, self-conscious.

"It doesn't change a thing," Wayne said, as straight-faced as he could. "You're still Minion and a part of the family. You can't... can't change who you are, or how you're built, but we don't want you to. So stop hiding like that, you're fine."

"Really?" Minion asked.

"Really."

"So I guess you grew rapidly too then, huh?" Bernard asked.

"Oh my yes. Very... um... quick," Minion replied. "Much like Sir did, both physically and mentally. At eight days old, he was roughly the size of a month-old human baby. And don't even mention his mental growth. It was astounding!" the fish gushed, glad to have pushed the topic off of himself now. "He knew how to safely operate power tools at only two weeks old!"

"...Who... would give a baby power tools...?" Wayne asked slowly, almost afraid to ask.

"The men who were looking after him in prison. Then it kind of backfired, since he created a tricycle of doom that blasted a hole in the prison wall. We both got into all kinds of trouble..." Minion explained, but then laughed. "Man. Good times. Of course, this was before Father came and adopted us both. If it weren't for him, who knows what we might have ended up as."

"You might have ended up as evil bad guys or something," Bernard joked. "You know, wreaking havoc on a world that didn't understand you, and there'd be one lone man standing between you and world domination."

"Who?" Wayne asked.

"Oh gee, I don't know. The man who can fly, has super speed, super strength... need I say more?" Bernard asked.

"Oh!"

"What's going on in here?" Megamind joined in the conversation, walking into the room with an armful of books. "What are you all laughing about?"

"You." Bernard answered.

"Oh, no we're not Sir," Minion said quickly. "We're talking about how bad we might have ended up if Father hadn't come and saved us from the prison."

"Ah," Megamind said as he set his books on the table, before eyeing the book that Bernard had open in front of him. "...A baby book?" he asked.

"For Roxanne. Since she's so swamped with work I thought it fair I look into this whole pregnancy thing for her. Then I can talk to her about it," Bernard said. "Plus, I'm a bit curious myself as to how every one of us came into being. Well. Minus the aliens of course," he said, glancing at all three of them. What a life; being a werewolf, living in a house with three aliens of various species and his pregnant friend. This could be a movie or something.

Megamind nodded slowly.

"That, and she's worried if your alien DNA will cause the baby any problems," Bernard said, honestly unaware that Roxanne hadn't brought this topic up with the blue man.

"What?" Megamind asked.

"Uh... you know," Bernard continued cautiously. "She's human, you're... not, and from what Minion just told us your kind only carried the babies for a little over seven months. For us humans it's nine, so I'm just... wondering over what her pregnancy will be like..."_ Crap. She hasn't told him, has she?_

Megamind stood there in numb silence for a moment. Why hadn't he ever considered that fact more deeply than just a passing fancy? He had been worried if the baby would be born healthy, but what would it do to Roxanne'shealth? What if the baby grew too fast within her body and it caused her horrible pain? The birth process too could be a very dangerous affair when the time came. His kind had large heads; would their child have a large head? These thoughts brought on all of the fears which he had managed to push away for the past few days, after his run-in with that old woman, who none of his 'family' knew about yet at all.

His face must have reflected his current mood, since Minion was beside him quickly, placing his metal hand to his back. "Sir please, don't worry like this! We've got the best doctors in the city willing to look after her, and she has us all to support her. I don't see why Ms. Ritchi should be scared at all."

"Maybe because she has a parasite she knows almost nothing about growing in her womb?" Bernard asked.

"Bernard, stop that!" Wayne said quickly. "You're just saying this to be a pain. Stop it."

Bernard frowned, and stared down at the book in front of him. "Not a pain," he muttered.

"We'll talk about this later," Wayne whispered to him before turning to look at his brother, who still looked very, very unsure of himself. "Every pregnancy faces worries and fears, Megamind. Not just this one."

"None of the others have an alien for a father," Megamind pointed out quietly.

"So what if you're an alien? You're a genius! You have the access and ability to create countless devices completely unheard of to the people on this planet. Roxanne is in good hands, and we all have to work hard and ensure that she knows this, and that we won't desert her when the times get harder. And believe me, things will get tougher. All right?" he asked, going so far to get out of his chair and walk over to his brother, setting a hand to his shoulder. When Megamind didn't answer, he squeezed his hand just that fraction closer. "All right?"

"All right," Megamind answered. "Sorry, it's just... been a rough couple of weeks, you know?" he asked.

"I understand." Wayne nodded before glancing up to see Minion leaving, having folded all his laundry and now heading off to put them away. "Hey, how about tonight I make us something to eat? Give Minion a day off."

"What!" Minion heard this and put his feet into reverse, looking in on the three. "No!"

"Oh come on, you do everything around here," Wayne said. "It isn't fair. You're allowed a day off, aren't you? You're like a mother, always giving and never taking."

"It's my purpose in life to take care of Sir, and by extension you, as well as Ms. Ritchi and Mr. Dunning. I like doing things," Minion said with a frown. "I can't help it, it's in my make up."

"Make up?" Megamind turned his head, staring at the fish with a confused expression.

"Oh uh, before they asked how... how my species raised their young, and with us, it's the males who raise the children... not the females. So... so by definition I'm answering to that hard wired instinct to look after you all because it's what the males of my kind did. So..." Minion trailed off.

"So nothing. I'm going to cook, and I'll turn you around and send you out of the kitchen each time you try to walk in. No way about it," Wayne said firmly. "All right?"

Minion knew when he had lost an argument, especially when Wayne put his hands on his hips like that. "All right, all right. If you say so. But if you burn anything in my kitchen there'll be heck to pay."

=M=

He screamed in frustration as his sword swung at full force, and he groaned when he was splattered with thick, rich blood that came spurting out of the wound. The sword, lodged in the chest cavity of the vampire, wouldn't come free. He hauled at it, desperately, to pull it free, but gave up when the vampire suddenly swung one of its fists at him. Backwards he rolled and landed upright, before jumping to his full stance, and readied himself.

The vampire, sword in chest, was badly injured and bleeding heavily. It appeared to be in pain with every breath through its cold dead lips, and yet still it refused to fall. Berserkers were always tricky, always hard, but why had he had to run into one now?

Then it charged like a runaway freight train right at him, and Megamind dropped onto his back as the crazed creature ran over him completely, but he'd drawn his limbs in close and just narrowly avoided being trampled to death. But his hand shot out, grabbed the handle of his father's sword, and pulled it out with a sickening crunch as the beast staggered and went rolling. Quick as he could Megamind got to his feet and raced after the beast again, swinging his sword with precision, and one mighty swipe later the head of the vampire went tumbling to the floor, thick blood staining as it rolled.

Megamind panted as the twitching, bleeding body lay before him, and took a moment to shut his eyes.

"Lawyer," he muttered to himself, before he began the nasty business of cutting off the remaining limbs of the dead Berserker, hands shaking as he did.

What was wrong with him? He'd never been so torn up by a Berserker since that awful night. His timing was foggy and he'd gotten scratched across his chest, and now he had a wound that was bleeding, seeping into his clothes. This upset him, since getting blood out of material was always difficult for Minion and he hated making more work for his friend. Not only that, it felt horrible.

The alien collapsed to the ground once the job was done, despite having not shoveled the remains into his handy garbage bag. Ripping his hat from his head he tossed it aside, before pressing his hand to the wound that still flowed freely. Thanks to the location of the attack, a farm over an hour's drive from the city, he could allow himself a moment of respite, yet at the same time this separated him from anyone else. It was a dangerous, yet welcome, situation to find himself. If there were any other vampires nearby, he'd be in a lot of trouble.

"_Why do you do it if you hate it?_"

Megamind was on his feet in seconds, sword raised, and swung it around to where the voice had come from.

It was her. The same old woman he had seen the day he met Roxanne's family. His eyes widened, demanding answers without the use of words.

"_In time, in time_," she said. She was actually on her feet now, and came walking up to the remains of the vampire. She shook her head, sighing. "_Such a waste of strength_."

"Why do you pity them?" Megamind demanded, sword still pointed at her.

"_Somebody has to_," the woman replied, as she reached down and stroked the head of the disembodied head. "_Do not forget that they were people once_."

"I know that, I'm not an idiot," he shot back testily, wound still aching terribly.

"_Child, I would never call you that_." She lifted her gaze to finally look at him, and Megamind wished she hadn't, wished that the shawl around her hadn't slipped slightly at that time to show him her eyes.

They were old eyes, the kind of eyes the universe itself would hold, if it had a head to carry eyes in. These eyes, these probing, black, serious eyes, had seen so much in her life, that he was nothing but a speck of dust in the universe to those eyes.

"_And how is your lovely lady? How is the baby?_" the woman suddenly asked.

"...F... fine?" Megamind asked, before realizing he was talking to this woman as if everything was happy and normal and he wasn't standing in vampire remains. He lifted his sword again. "How do you know about that? Tell me, now!" he demanded.

She chuckled, and Megamind felt his stomach tie up in knots.

"What do you do, wait until I defeat someone and show up?" he asked quietly. "Because if so, that's pretty stalker-ish of you." This, too, got a chuckle for an answer. "Stop laughing at me!" he said, sounding more like a pouting five-year-old than a hardened vampire hunter.

"_Good luck with your mother_."

"What?" Megamind's voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

"_Good luck_."

"HOW do you-"

Just as the last time, a violent, strong gust of wind suddenly erupted from nowhere. The alien shut his eyes and shielded his face as the wind seemed to cut into his skin itself, and when it finally died down, when he could finally lower his arms, the woman was gone. Megamind hurried in the direction she had been standing, rushing through the remains of the berserker as well as the cattle that it had been feasting on. The smell was horrible, but it was a smell he had long learned to handle.

Megamind continued running, eyes scanning the big, vast field. There was nowhere for a woman to hide, no trees to take shelter behind, no bushes... so where...?

And how had she known he had finally agreed to meet with his Mother? How did she know of Roxanne? Of him at all? Megamind had been nothing but careful his entire life when it came to being found out, and yet here was this woman who appeared to know absolutely everything happening in his life.

Either she was a malevolent spirit haunting his very being, or a very nosy woman who had managed to infiltrate the family. If the latter was the case, who was she getting details from? Who would give up everything about him to a woman like this? Bernard sprung to mind, and Megamind wished it hadn't. Accusing his brother's boyfriend for breaking his pact with them, accusing him of talking to outsiders about their lives, would get him on the receiving end of Wayne's fists to his precious face.

The sudden flush of heat and pain from his throbbing wound brought Megamind back to reality. He turned around, and spotted just how far he had run from the attack site. Megamind cursed as he began to slowly make his way back to the site.

Wayne had been so happy when he'd finally announced he'd meet with their Mother. Megamind and Roxanne had talked long into the night about the situation, Roxanne offering advice but also listening to him when he voiced his fears. He didn't want to be hurt again by the woman; he didn't want to feel as though she cared again only for her to leave him all over again. Maybe it was partly Mother's fault for his fear of abandonment. Or was he just being petty?

"Don't be like that..." Roxanne had whispered as she trailed a hand down the side of his face gently. "You're not being petty."

"I'm not?" Megamind asked quietly, eyes staring vacantly ahead.

"No, of course not." She shook her head, before shifting closer to him and pulling him closer to her until his forehead rested against her shoulder. "But you're already making an attempt to fix this, to face her, and I'm so proud of you."

"Are you really, or are you just saying that?" he asked, smiling faintly before pressing a soft kiss to her collarbone.

"I'm not one to mince words. You know that." Megamind could practically see her smirk in his mind. The way her nose wrinkled slightly, and that playful gleam in her eyes.

"I know," Megamind whispered.

"It's only natural to be afraid. Everyone gets afraid at some point in their lives," Roxanne explained as she began to gently caress the back of his head, a motion he always quite appreciated.

"Not alien vampire hunters," he had sighed, letting his eyes slip shut as his arm settled on her side. Oh God. Was that a bump already? She was what, over two months now? He shifted his hand so it was no longer on her side, but pressing against the small bump that creased her clothing. "...Not fathers."

"Fathers get scared just as much as regular men," Roxanne said firmly before placing her hand over his. "Just like mothers."

"...Are you scared?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."

"Do you think we'll be fine?"

"I... don't know."

Megamind hated that twinge of uncertainty in her voice. He wanted to banish it, to destroy it and rid it from Roxanne so she would never doubt herself or him ever again. The alien had shifted, and had pulled her into his arms this time, a pathetic attempt at protecting and shielding her from doubts and feelings the two were plagued with.

Thankfully she didn't question it, she didn't question him. Instead her slender arms wrapped around him in return, and she pressed a kiss to his jaw before they had just laid there in one another's arms throughout the rest of the night.

There was so much to talk and worry over. It was getting insane.

"Life was never like this before," Megamind muttered as he pushed the remains into the garbage bag.

But would he change it?

Never, of course not... but he wouldn't mind feeling in control of his life again. To no longer have these strong feelings about things, to find himself staring out the window when he didn't remember moving to it. He blamed the stress, he blamed the fears and worries his mind had never lingered on before...

That was all he could blame, wasn't it?

_To be continued_


End file.
